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CrankBrothers revamp Mallet and 5050 pedals, add saddle line

New items spotted at NAHBS, no official word from Laguna

1 / 9

The new CrankBrothers Mallets again have proper traction pins at the front and rear edges of the body. Additional bits of grippy tape should lend a more planted feeling, too, though we're not sure how well they'll hold up to heavy use

(James Huang/Future Publishing)

2 / 9

Assuming CrankBrothers are using the same bearing configuration as on the recently overhauled Candy and Eggbeater pedals, we expect the seals to work much better on these latest Mallets

(James Huang/Future Publishing)

3 / 9

The new Mallets have a lot of surface area for your feet but the extruded aluminum bodies are mostly hollow and should be fairly light

(James Huang/Future Publishing)

4 / 9

CrankBrothers have moved away from their reverse-access traction pins on the revamped 5050 and instead has opted for more traditional set screws. The pins are also now solely located on the periphery of the body

(James Huang/Future Publishing)

5 / 9

The new CrankBrothers 5050 pedals look to have a much thinner profile than the existing version

(James Huang/Future Publishing)

6 / 9

The new CrankBrothers 5050 pedals look to have a much thinner profile than the existing version

(James Huang/Future Publishing)

7 / 9

The profile of CrankBrothers' new saddle looks to be a dead ringer for some of WTB's models

(James Huang/Future Publishing)

8 / 9

The rear depression and flat left-to-right profile should help alleviate pressure on soft tissue

(James Huang/Future Publishing)

9 / 9

Strategic cutouts in the saddle shell add extra cush and it looks like the rails may even be replaceable at home via the removable plug up front

CrankBrothers have yet to officially announce changes to their harder-hitting Mallet and 5050 pedals — or even mention a saddle — but we spotted some keen-looking prototypes on Independent Fabrication bikes at this year's North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Austin, Texas.

Not surprisingly, the new Mallets and 5050s look to use the same bolted-together bodies as the new Candy and Eggbeater models. Big Torx-head bolts are fed in from the inner side of the pedals for not only a clean look but also some protection from impact. Assuming CrankBrothers have carried over the same improvements in sealing, too, we expect the updated Mallets and 5050s to offer the same warranty as the redesigned Eggbeater and Candy pedals.

The clip-in Mallet retains CrankBrothers' trademark retention system but the extruded aluminum body is a touch sleeker and squared-off than before. A trio of traction pins are positioned at the front and rear edges as before but the center section now has some grippy appliqués for a more secure feel – hard to say at this point how well they'll hold up over time, though. The replaceable kick plates on the current Mallet go away but the two-piece body now opens up possibilities for more creative color combinations.

Changes to the 5050 flat pedal are more radical: the body is notably thinner, the traction pins have been redistributed to the periphery, the center of the platform is more open for better mud evacuation, and the traction pins now revert to more traditional set screws instead of the reverse-access ones of the original model. The center of the body now has much more texturing than the previous model, as well.

The new crankbrothers 5050 pedals look to have a much thinner profile than the existing version: the new crankbrothers 5050 pedals look to have a much thinner profile than the existing version

New CrankBrothers saddles, manufactured by sister brand Fi’zi:k

Curiously, the new CrankBrothers saddle that we spotted bore remarkable resemblance – at least in terms of overall shape and profile – to some WTB models. Made for CrankBrothers by Fi'zi:k, the new saddle is slightly hammock-shaped from front to rear but sports a nearly flat profile left-to-right and a broad rear section with a slight central depression to help alleviate soft tissue pressure. The rounded tail and slightly dropped nose should make for mostly snag-free movement in technical terrain while strategically placed cutouts in the shell add some extra squish.

We weren't able to confirm this last piece of information, but it looks like it may be possible to replace the rails should they be bent in a crash. By our eyes, the aluminum plug under the nose is easily removable and should allow the rear of the rails to then easily pop out of the shell. Unfortunately, we have no official word from CrankBrothers on weights, pricing or availability just yet, but based on their current numbering scheme and markings on each of the items we saw at NAHBS, there should be multiple performance and cost levels for each range just as before.

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Preferred Terrain: Up in the Colorado high-country where the singletrack is still single, the dirt is still brown, and the aspens are in full bloom. Also, those perfect stretches of pavement where the road snakes across the mountainside like an artist's paintbrush.